Ohio City Authorizes Sharpshooters to Reduce the Deer Herd

With an overpopulation of whitetails, a city in Ohio passed a law allowing sharpshooters to reduce the deer herd.

Living within its 11-square-mile borders, 241 deer call Northstead, Ohio home. Due to a rising number of vehicle accidents, depletion of food sources and other conflicts with humans, Northstead’s city council has passed a law that authorizes sharpshooters to reduce the deer herd to a level that meets an established quota.

According to Cleveland.com, the ordinance says that deer overpopulation has led to “an excessive number of deer-related vehicular accidents, as well as destruction of natural habitats and biodiversity.”

“The deer problem has been increasing year after year, and this is a chance for the city to manage it,” Mayor Kevin Kennedy said in an interview.

“Sharpshooters will be trained and the deer will be directed toward large plots of land, so (the culling) won’t happen in a residential neighborhood.”

The culling will only be permitted on properties deemed safe by the chief of police. In addition, only law enforcement officers will be allowed to kill the deer. These officers will likely be equipped with suppressed firearms and night vision gear.

Why were bowhunters left out when a number of municipalities nationwide rely on hunters to keep deer herds in check?

Apparently, that was a provision within this legislation before it was voted out due to protest from members of the community.

No timeline has been set for the culling to begin, but all venison that is harvested will be donated to local food banks.